A New Beginning
by The Cheese Alchemist
Summary: SPOILERS If you haven't read the last book/seen the last movie! A story about the next generation of wizards, and their life at Hogwarts, though not as half as hard as their parents, but more and more troublesome. Rated T for future chapters. R&R!
1. Albus: Second born

**A/N : Long time no see! I returned with a tale about the Next Generation of Hogwarts! Harry Potter has been a part of my life for 10 years, and I absolutely lovee it!** **Thanks, J.K. Rowling for giving us these great characters to play with! This story is rather random, but it's very fun to write, I guess. All OC's are by me. Enjoy, and review!  
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><p>"Are your bags ready, Albus?"<p>

Albus was a small 11-year-old. He has big green eyes, like his Father, and the same black hair as him, only not that messy. The tiny boy was putting all of his clothes in the big trunk. He didn't know what to put, actually. He had already packed his bags, when his older brother came in and told him that he wouldn't be needing that many colored clothes, he needed more white shirts, and grey or black sweaters. He needed, as well, three or four robes, depending on the weather. The uniform was pretty standard; really, not very different from the one he had from school. Though the robe was definitely out of the ordinary.

"Do you have enough shirts, honey?" asked the redheaded woman, "Oh, my, they're not quite enough. I told your Father that you needed more, the washing at Hogwarts is pretty slow, you know. It's ok, I'll send another package as soon as your Father comes,"

"Is Father going to teach at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, he's going to be the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. It was his favorite subject, as I recall. He's great at it, and he's had a lot of experience with Darkness."

A short man came into his sons' room with a book under his arm. He approached his son smiling, putting his hand around his slim shoulders.

"Hello, my little man."

"Hello…Father."

The people whom Albus looked up to the most were his Father, the infamous Harry Potter, and his older brother, the soon-to-be best keeper of the Quiditch team, James Potter II. His Father's reputation was well known to every witch and wizard alive, and his brother was, well, amazing. He didn't study a minute, yet he was top of his class, and he became a member of the Quiditch team before even starting his first year, when the captain of the team promised James that he'll make him the keeper next year.

"I have a little something for you,"

His Father handed him the only book he hadn't read from their library. His journal. It was filled with all his Father's adventures, from the very first year of Hogwarts, to the very last.

"Before the start of each year, I want you the read another part of this book. The first part is my first year, actually, and I hope you'll read it, maybe it'll be useful at times,"

"Thank-Thank you, Father,"

An older boy came running into the run, still wearing his pajamas.

"Wow, Dad, that's the journal! Man, the second part blew my mind off! You saved Mom, that was epic. The beginning of a love story, so soon…"

"James, don't spoil your brother's surprise," laughed Ginny.

"Oh, that's right, little Al is coming to Hogwarts this year! And Rose too. That'll be nice. I'm already a hot shot there, little bro, so I could introduce you to some of my guys. It'll be fun, I promise. Maybe even join the Quiditch team,"

"B-But I'm afraid of-"

"Don't be such a wuss, Al, I'll show you how it's done."

"James, please don't scare your brother. And what is it that I'm seeing? You're still in your pajamas? I told you to get dressed an hour ago!" shouted Ginny.

"Yeah, but I was busy, Mom! I was writing to Scorpius,"

"Can you believe it, Gin? His best friend is Draco's son," said Harry surprised.

"That's odd, I know. But Draco's not all bad. Not anymore, I guess,"

"Yes, you're…right."

"Oh yeah, I read about you and Draco Malfoy, Dad, it was horror! You always fought with each other. And he was really arrogant and annoying. Is he like that now?"

"Not really. He's still pretty full of himself, though."

Ginny looked at the big brown clock on Albus's wall, and saw the time, "Oh my gosh, Ron and Hermione will be here any minute. James, get dressed. Now!"

"Ok, ok, sheesh, calm down."

James went back to his room still mumbling something, and put on his casual clothes. Albus was still very nervous. He felt relieved that his Dad was coming to Hogwarts with him. At least he'd feel more secure. He wasn't his brother, that was for sure. He wasn't charming, or athletic. He was shy, a bookworm, really, and very reserved. He liked to keep his feelings inside, rather than shouting them out loud. James was tall, well-built and developed for his age, with black messy hair and big brown eyes, while Albus was small, skinny, and fragile. He didn't rely on his body much. He didn't like running, or playing outside, he was more the indoors type. He was afraid of flying, meeting new people, and being bad at something.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter could be heard from downstairs. Albus shut his trunk closed, and dragged it to the hallway. He could barely carry it.

James sighed, "Here, let me,"

The older boy took not only Albus's trunk, but also his own. He was carrying them down the stairs, like they were nothing but feathers. Albus came down shyly.

"Hey, Albus,"

His Aunt and Uncle came over. His Aunt, Hermione, was a very important person for the Ministry. She was beautiful, dressed really elegant, and pretty serious and well mannered. On the contrary, his Uncle Ron was clumsy, very comfortably dressed, and laid back. He worked as an Auror, as well as his Father.

Their two cousins also came. His cousin Rose was the same age as him. She was very excited to receive the letter, and she couldn't wait to read all those books her Mother told her about. His younger cousin, Hugo, was the same age as his sister, Lily. They were both two years younger than him. Rose was like a perfect mix between Hermione and Ron. She had long red hair, but her features were clearly Hermione's.

"Today the day, Al. How are you?" asked Ron.

"I'm quite nervous, Uncle Ron."

"I know the feeling, Al, I was nervous too when I first went to Hogwarts. But I felt better that I knew I had my brothers with me. You have James too, and Rose of course. You'll all love Hogwarts."

"Yes, Albus, it's wonderful there," said his Aunt. "Not only do you learn a lot, you also make wonderful friends, and have extraordinary adventures. And it's the safest place on Earth."

"Oh, but watch for the Womping Willow. It can crush you. And the Forbidden Forest. And the corridor on the Third Floor. And-"

"I think that's enough, Ronald," growled Hermione. "Oh, look at the time, we need to be at King's Cross in 15 minutes!"

"Ok," said Harry. "Lily, come and walk your brothers to the station!"

A pretty girl came down. She looked a lot like her grandmother, except for the eyes. They were like her Mother's. She was smallish, with red hair, and big beautiful eyes.

"I don't want to! I want to go to Hogwarts!" shouted Lily.

"See? Lily wants to go too! I want to go too, Mom!" shouted Hugo, as well.

"Hugo Weasley, how many times do I have to tell you! When you'll be 11, you'll go. No sooner or later."

"But, but-"

"No buts, young man,"

"Aw, come on Hermione, look at the puppy dog eyes. How can you resist…the puppy dog eyes?" cowed Ron.

"Ronald, don't even start."

The two families got into their cars and drove to the station. As soon as they arrived, Harry and Ron took all of the trunks out of the cars and handed them over to the boys.

"Here you go, Albus," his Father said.

"Can you carry it on your own, Al? Do you want me to help?" asked James.

"N-No, I can do it myself, thanks you asking."

The three kids were walking towards platform 9 ,and Albus was shocked to see that such platform didn't exist.

"We need to walk through platform 9 and platform 10," said Rose. "Right here," she showed Albus the wall, "I read about it in _Interesting Facts about Hogwarts _by Hermione Weasley."

"Yeah, yeah, you bookworm," laughed James, "Come, Al, let's walk through together. It's frightening at first, but you get used to it,"

Albus took his brother and Rose's hand, and the three walked through the platform. It was magical. They soon could see the Hogwarts Express, a big purple train, and the platform filled with young witches and wizards.

"Scorpius!" shouted James.

James ran to the blonde boy, and hugged him. The two approached Albus, and Scorpius shook his hand, smirking.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy, the greatest wizard Hogwarts has ever seen!"

"Better said, the greatest prick Hogwarts has ever seen…"

"Shut it, Potter! And you are?"

"Albus Severus Potter. I'm James's brother."

"Oh, pleasure. You'll be attending Hogwarts too, this year, right?"

"Y-Yes, I will."

"Just remember, I'm in charge. If you listen to me, nothing bad will happen to you."

"You mean nothing good would happen to him."

"What did you say?"

"Stop bragging, Malfoy,"

"It's not called bragging if it's all true, Potter. Come on, then. We don't want to miss our train, do we?"

"Sure! Al, I'll go then. I'll keep you and Rose a seat, ok?"

"Wait, James-"

Before even finishing his sentence, the older brother disappeared and left Albus alone. He walked to his family, while Ron and Hermione were kissing Rose goodbye. Lily was still crying about not going to Hogwarts, and Hugo suggested hiding in Albus's trunk.

"Are you ready, Al?" asked Harry.

"Fa-Father? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, son?"

"What if…What if I'm put in Slytherin?"

His Father put his arms on his shoulders, "Albus Severus Potter, you were named after two head masters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was the bravest man I've ever known."

Harry was smiling at the boy. Albus smiled as well. He hugged his Mom and Aunt, and kissed his little sister on the forehead.

"Al, don't go! I'll be lonely without you!"

"Don't worry, Lil, I'll write you a letter every week and tell you about Hogwarts. You and Hugo can read it together, ok?"

"Bye, Al," said Hugo.

"Goodbye…everybody."

Al headed towards the train. He got his trunk on the train, and looked for a compartment. He then saw James waving him, and entered the compartment he was in. Rose was there, as well as Scorpius. There was also another girl, a small girl with long black hair and beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey Al, this is Linda. Linda is also a first year, like you and Rosey. We met her in the train,"

"Hello, I'm Albus Potter,"

"Nice to meet you, Albus, I'm Linda Peterson."

Once the four had settled, and all their luggage was taken to the luggage compartment, they waved their parents goodbye and the train left from the station. The road to Hogwarts seemed very beautiful and filled with amazing sights, that Albus was eager to see. They started talking about different subjects.

"Gryffindor and Slytherin used to be rival houses, did you know?" asked James, "Dad told me that they would always fight with one another, and they quite hated each other."

"Yeah, my Dad was awfully surprised when he saw that I'm friends with a Gryffindor. But he wasn't mad, not at all. Just…surprised." Said Scorpius.

"I want to be a Ravenclaw," said Rose, "I heard they're the smartest."

"Aunt Hermione was in Gryffindor as well, and she was the smartest witch in all the school. So it doesn't really count, actually. And you'll be breaking the Weasley tradition! All Weasleys were in Gryffindor!"

"What about you, Linda? What house do you want to join?" asked Albus nervously.

"I don't really know what houses are, really. I hadn't had any sorts of encounters with witches or wizards. I'm Muggle born. At least, I…I think. I live at the orphanage."

All the three children were silenced by Linda's confession.

"I don't really know who my parents are. The ladies from the orphanage told me that one day, they found me on the bench near the orphanage, and they took me in."

"How did you find out you're a witch?" gasped Scorpius.

"I could move objects without touching them. I was different, and everyone knew it. I was really lonely sometimes. I cried almost every day in my room. I could never find a roomie, because every kid was scared of me. But one of the ladies, Lady Rosemerta, figured out I'm a witch. Her mother was also a witch, so she could tell that they're something odd about me. She called a man from the Ministry, a short man with black hair and a lighting scar on his forehead."

"That's Dad!" said James, "You met our Dad?"

"That was your Dad? Interesting. He was very kind to me. He told me that I need to go to Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards, and that I'll be living there nine months each year. I was more than excited to leave the orphanage, even for a little bit. It's awfully hard to be ignored by everyone, you know."

"I understand," said Albus, ",all my classmates used to bully me because I am quite skinny and geeky. I never felt good about myself. Though I always knew I was a wizard. My parents told me."

"It's going to be ok now, Albus, Linda. Hogwarts is a place for special kids, kids with gifts, such as magic. So no one will bully you. I think."

"That's very encouraging, James," said Rose sarcastically.

The journey didn't last much longer. The four children were announced that they are required to change into their robes. Soon after, the train stopped, and everyone got out. A huge, old man was waiting for the children to come.

"Hagrid!" shouted James.

"Well, well, look who we have here! The one and only James Potter, and his crew. Now let's see. You don't need an introduction: you're Scorpius Malfoy! Welcome back, Scorpius! And the others?"

"Oh, Hagrid, this is Albus, he is my younger brother. It's his first year here."

"Nice to meet you, Albus! You know, I've known your grandfather and your father, and now look! You and your older brother joined Hogwarts as well! Time flies …so…"

Hagrid reached for his pocket and grabbed a handkerchief. He blew his big nose into it, and put it quickly back in his ginormous pocket.

"And two girls! Are they your relatives, too, James?"

"Yes and no. This is Rose, my cousin. Also first year. She's Ron and Hermione's daughter."

"You're so beautiful, Rose! You look a lot like your Dad, that's for sure. I hope you have yer Mom's brains, though," he laughed, "and you, sweetie?"

"I'm Linda Peterson, sir," said Linda, "I met them on the train."

"Oh well then, welcome all to Hogwarts! I hope you have a wonderful experience, all of ya! Now, all first years follow me to the boats!"

Hagrid arranged them in boats, and guided them to the castle. The sight in front of them was unforgettable. It was just like magic. A huge medieval castle appeared right in front of their eyes. It was just like their parents had described it, only more and more special, because they could see it with their own eyes!

After crossing the lake, Hagrid showed them off to the Great Hall, and wished them luck. The group of first years wasn't big, maybe twenty or thirty. Not many freshmen this year. James and Scorpius already went into the Great Hall and took their seats. Albus was nervously waiting for someone to come and invite them in.

When the door opened, a tall man came towards the children and started talking, "Hello, first years, I'm Neville Longbottom, and I'm the Herbology teacher. My son is also a first year here, so I decided to take the initiative and invite you in to the Sorting Ceremony! It's simple, you just sit on the chair, and wait until I place the hat on your head. It will then shout out loud your new House. Please, enter."

Professor Longbottom opened the doors, and the first years were absolutely stunned by the Great Hall. The celling was tall, and it reflected the night sky, with stars and clouds, and even birds! The room was filled with students sitting at four different tables. Those were the houses. The teachers had their own table, at the back of the room.

Albus entered nervously, while waiting for the others to be invited in and sorted. Linda's turn was up, so she headed towards the chair, sat down, and waited patiently for her to be sorted.

"Hmm, difficult. I think the best would be… Ravenclaw!"

The small girl ran to the table, and showed Albus a warm smile. He felt like his blood was rushing to his cheeks, but he couldn't waste any more time, Prof. Longbottom called his name!

He took a seat, "Aha! Another Potter. I know it'll get you mad, but… Slytherin!"

Albus was slowly walking to the Slytherin table. There weren't any applause… Just silence. He felt embarrassed, when Scorpius pointed out to the empty seat near him. Rose got up and started clapping her hands together, and everyone joined her soon after.

"Potter, you a Slytherin? That's odd, very odd," said Scorpius, "But welcome, nonetheless, Slytherin has gained a great asset. I …think."

The older boy was shocked as hell, and while he was trying to comfort Albus, he could barely find his words. The last one to be sorted was Rose. She became a Ravenclaw, like Linda. She soon ran to the table and started talking joyfully to the girl.

Albus was still pretty sad. Even though Slytherin wasn't considered a bad house, on the contrary, it was full of smart, talented students, it had a dark reputation. During his Father's time at Hogwarts, the Slytherins were hated by everyone. But times had changed, and maybe being a Slytherin wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

Head mistress McGonnagal rose and gave her introductory speech. She was quite old, but she kept a lively smile on her face. She then announced the House Heads.

Slytherin's head was a Potions teacher named Prof. Slughorn. He seemed nice, so Albus put a smile on his face and clapped his hands when his name was called. Ravenclaw's head was Prof. Flitwick, the Charms professor. Prof. Longbottom was in charge of Hufflepuff, and the last, but not the least Gryffindor. Everyone was surprised when the Head Mistress shouted "Harry Potter!"

No one answered. Then the doors were opened loudly. A short man ran to the teachers' table and shouted, "I'm here, I'm here!"

Everyone started laughing. Albus buried his head in his shoulders, and blushed heavily.

"Hey Potter, is that your Daddy?" Asked a fellow Slytherin.

Albus was on the verge of tears when more and more Slytherins were pointing their fingers at him and laughing.

"Stop it!" shouted Scorpius, "So what if his Dad teaches here? I think you should get on Potters' good side; otherwise you won't pass Defense against the Dark Arts. If anyone has anything else to say to Potter, tell me first."

Everyone shut up. It was amazing how much power a second year could have over the Slytherins. His Father being the Minister of Magic, no one really stood up against him.

Harry rushed to McGonnagal's side. He hugged his old teacher briefly and apologized for arriving late. Something about Lily…

"Hello, students. I'm Harry Potter, Auror, and your new Defense against the Dark Arts teachers. I'm also the Head professor of Gryffindor," he looked desperately for his two sons "I was really excited about being a professor, seeing as both my sons are in…"

He finally found Albus, sitting at the Slytherin table.

"I-I mean, one of my sons is in Gryffindor, and the other one is in S-Slytherin. "

Most of the students were talking about Albus, even though the Slytherins were silent. Albus felt like hell. Why? He thought that his Father's presence at Hogwarts would help him, but here he was, embarrassed by what his Dad said.

"W-Well, I wish you all a great year, and… health!"

Harry nervously took his seat next to McGonagall and Prof. Slughorn. He kept explaining something to Slughorn, but Albus couldn't tell what exactly. It was definitely something about him, though.

When the meal was over, all the children were guided to their common rooms. The Slytherin common room was big and dark, and very sophisticated. He could see many older students talking politely. It really wasn't his style.

His room wasn't that big, seeing as he was sharing it with three boys. It had four beds, two on top of other two, and a big wardrobe. There was enough room to store his books and school stuff, but it still didn't feel like home. All the furniture was black, with green sheets and curtains all around.

The other boys finally arrived. They didn't look that unfriendly, so Albus thought about introducing himself.

"Hey, I'm Albus Potter," said Albus shyly.

"Oh, we know you," chuckled one "Your Dad is the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"I think you felt quite bad about that thing earlier. I would've felt the same. Don't worry, they'll all forget about it soon enough," smiled another one kindly, "I'm Tony Hart. And these two here are Mike Parkinson and Wesley Jordan. Nice to meet you, Albus,"

The four boys shook hands, and unpacked their stuff. The three already knew each other from the train, so they talked more openly to one another, even though Tony tried to involve Albus in the conversation as much as possible.

"So Al - can I call you Al?"

"Yeah, sure, that's how friends call me," Albus smiled.

"Good then. Did you met anyone knew on the train?" asked Tony.

"Well I have a lot of family here. My older brother, James, is in Gryffindor. He's a second year. My cousin, Rose, is a first year in Ravenclaw. And a lot of other cousins, but they are much older. "

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Mike. "Tell us, tell us!"

"Well, Fred is a fifth year, Roxanne a fourth year, and they are both in Gryffindor. Dominique and Louis are in Hufflepuff. They're 17 and 15."

"Wow, that's a whole lot of people! So you have…five cousins?"

"No, actually I have nine, but three of them already completed their years at Hogwarts, and one hasn't started yet. Hugo, 9 years old, he's the same age as my sister, Lily."

"So let me get this straight. You have nine cousins, a brother, and a sister?" empathized Wesley. "How do you fit at a table on Christmas?"

"Grandma and Grandpa are used to a big family. Mom had six brothers. One of them died in the Second Wizard War, though."

"That was nineteen years ago, right?" asked Mike. "My mom told me about it. She was a seventh year."

"My Dad too! I think she knows her."

"Many lost their lives then. But your Dad is legendary, Al!" said Tony. "He killed Voldemort! And Professor Longbottom destroyed a Horcrux. And many others, such as the Weasleys…"

"You know your stuff, Tone," said Wesley.

"I read about it in _Second Wizard War _by Hermione Weasley. She's my favorite writer! Do you think you could get me an autograph, Al?"

"From Auntie? Sure…"

The four boys kept getting to know each other. Slytherin wasn't as horrid as many said. The three boys were actually pleasant. He found a lot about them.

Tony was a Muggle born, obsessed with magic. He read hundreds of books on magic and Hogwarts. He was about the same height as Al, and he had slightly long chestnut hair and big violet eyes. He was very smart and funny, as well as open. More of a Gryffindor, really.

Mike was a pure-blood, meaning his parents were both wizards, and he came from a long line of witches and wizards. He was already acquainted to potions, and he loved making them. He had short curly hair, and he was very round and short. He looked like a baseball to Al.

Wesley was a half. He was a bit arrogant, but he didn't seemed to be a bad person. He was taller than the rest, and had features which were considered attractive. He had wavy black hair and gorgeous blue eyes, with skin as pale as snow. He was already a crush for many of the Slytherin girls.

The three boys fell asleep instantly, but Albus couldn't sleep just yet. He opened the journal his Father gave him before leaving. He opened it to the first page, and read.

_My first day at Hogwarts was unforgettable. I still remember being put in Gryffindor, despite the Sorting Hat wanting me in Slytherin. After what I heard from Ron, I didn't want to be in Slytherin. And Malfoy was there too, so I asked the Sorting Hat to put me elsewhere. I felt excited as I was running to the Gryffindor table, where I was greeted by Hermione, and soon, Ron followed me. _

_I was so happy. For the first time, I had friends. I wasn't alone anymore. I knew who I was, I was Harry Potter. A wizard._

_Percy (Ron's older brother, and Prefect) led us to the Gryffindor tower, where our rooms were. I shared a room with Ron, and three other boys. They were Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom. Seamus seemed very funny, but quite full of himself. Dean was brilliant, really. Neville was weird. He was shy, and didn't talk much. He only played around with his pet frog, Trevor. I was really glad to meet them. Sharing a room, talking with boys my own age, it was almost like a dream. We could barely sleep that night. We spent the night talking about ourselves, and what we want to accomplish here, at Hogwarts._

His Father felt nervous about Hogwarts, as well. Albus felt relieved. His roommates didn't seem too different from Tony, Wesley and Mike. Even though they were Gryffindors… Albus closed the book, and fell quickly asleep.

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><p>"Al, wake up, wake up!"<p>

The familiar voice was piercing Albus's ears, while he was getting up. He looked around and saw, to his surprise, his older brother.

"Oh my gosh, James, get out!" shouted Albus, "This is the Slytherins' dormitories!"

"Chill, dude, I came to see Scorpius as well, so I remembered you were here. See I have my share of fans here."

"He's a second year, the keeper! James Potter…"whispered Tony with admiration.

"Hello, fellow mortals! James Potter had arrived in your humble room today, feel blessed. If my baby brother isn't treated like a prince, I will see to your deaths as soon as possible. Got it?"

Tony shook his head scared, yet the other two couldn't care less. James grinned at Albus, and got out the… window? Albus looked out, and saw his Nimbus broom waiting for him.

"So it wasn't suicide…" thought Wesley out loud.

"Ugh, annoying. Your brother sure is cocky, Potter," said Mike. "Barging in like that…"

"Sorry, I know. I'll talk to him later. Excuse him, please."

"It's ok," said Mike, "It's not your fault."

"Ok? Ok? We got to _speak_ to James Potter! It was… unforgettable…"

"He just ordered you around and cooed over his brother, you dumbass…" sighed Wesley.

After continuous bickering from Wesley and Tony, the three boys put their robes on. The Slytherin robe was different from the one James came with. It was a black robe, with a green collar and silver detailing. He also had to wear a silver and green tie, and of course, the white shirt. Since it was warm, he didn't put a jumper or vest, and he left his green scarf with silver lines in the trunk. He was ready. Green suited the young Potter, even though he thought that red and gold would look better on him…

"Ready, Al?"

"Sure, Tone,"

"First period is… Defense against the Dark Arts! Cool! We're paired with Ravenclaw," said Mike, consulting the schedule.

"With Rosey!" exclaimed Albus, "Guys, I'll introduce you to my little cousin, Rose."

"Oh, that's awesome. Maybe she'll be enchanted by my charms and my attractive body," declared Tony.

"Yeah, sure, Tone," laughed Wesley.

The four Slytherins came down to the common room. Albus saw Scorpius, who headed to the Potter boy.

"Morning, Potter,"

"Malfoy," Albus shook his hand.

"What's your first period?"

"Defense against the Dark Arts,"

"Ah, Daddy. God luck, then. See you later,"

"Thanks,"

After taking a quick breakfast, the four boys ran to the classroom. They were running late, because Mike couldn't stop eating. The Slytherins finally reached the classroom, when they heard a ghastly voice.

"Running late, children?"

It was an old man, dressed in rangy old clothes, staring at the boys. He had cat-like yellow eyes, that pierced through your soul. He chuckled darkly,

"You little, wretched souls, will-"

"Filtch!"

The door was opened, and Harry yelled at Filtch, "Are you still here, you mangy old twit? Leave these kids alone! If you wish to know, this little boy here is my son. If you do _anything_ to him…"

"My, my, Mr. Potter, excuse me! Forget about my foolishness, I beg of you! The savior of us all…"

"Shut it, now. Come on boys, why so tardy? Get in,"

Harry steered the boys into the classroom, and winked at Albus. Inside, you could see a lot of first years. Albus recognized a few Slytherins from his table, and some Ravenclaws. Oh, he just saw Rose! He waved at her, while she nervously pointed her clock. She hated tardiness.

"So, now that all of you are present, even you four Slytherins…Let's begin! I believe I've already introduced myself at the Opening Ceremony. I want you all to open your books at page 5, please."

Everyone seemed to enjoy the introductory lesson. Harry tried to make everything really practical, and he didn't stress on the details. Albus remember his Father mentioning that he hated the useless things he studied at Defense against the Dark Arts when he was in his first year. His teacher was afraid by most creatures and spells, so he kept reading about them. A real bore, actually.

Everyone was packing their books, and checking their schedule to find out where their next class was.

"Wow, Uncle Harry was really good! I enjoyed this class," said Rose.

"What class don't you enjoy, Rosey?" asked Albus ironically, "Oh, I want you to meet my roomies! Rose, these three are Tony, Wesley and Mike! They're also in Slytherin."

"Nice to meet you! My name is Rose Weasley, Albus's cousin. Well then, got to go to Herbology. See you later, Al!"

The girl ran to the exit and joined her two classmates. They headed to Herbology. The four Slytherin boy got out of the classroom as well, and headed to Transfiguration.

"Wow, Al, your cousin is really …cute," said Tony.

"Tony has a crush?" smirked Wesley.

"If you want, I can ask her to study with us later at the library," said Al. "She loves studying."

_All the classes were difficult, but what I found particularly hard was Potions. The teacher hated me! Snape was a real snake. He even lectured me because I kept taking notes. He's crazy, I tell you. And he kept favoring the Slytherins. Not fair, so not fair! Those poisonous snakes!_

Snape… he was one of the Head Masters Albus was named after. His Father told him about his brave act. Even though he didn't act like it, he really cared about his Father. But Albus quite shrieked when his Father wrote "_Those poisonous snakes!". _Did he really hate the Slytherins that much?

At dinner, Albus kept staring at Linda. She was casually chatting with Rose and drinking her pumpkin juice. And then he remembered about promising Tony to get Rose to study with them. Albus rose from the table and headed to the Ravenclaw's table.

Rose gave Linda an elbow and she stared at Albus. After meeting his glance, she quickly looked away, blushing.

"Hey Rosey," said Albus casually.

"Hey cousin. What is it that you require?" she said in a goofy voice.

"Do you …two want to study with me and Tony after dinner at the library?"

The two girls looked at each other, and giggled, "Sure, Albus. Let's meet at half past six at the entrance. I'll be sure to bring Linda, don't worry."

Albus glared at his cousin, blushing as hard as possible. He headed back to his table, and told Tony, "Mission accomplished. Tonight, half past six, we'll study together at the library."

"We?" asked Mike.

"Well, me, Tony, Rosey … and Linda,"

"Oh, who is this Linda?" grinned Wesley.

"Just a girl I met on the train," responded Albus nervously, "W-Why?"

"Just a girl, then…" smirked Mike.

Scorpius turned around angrily and looked at the four boys, "What are you saying? I want to come to the library too!"

"Scorpius, you're a second year," said Albus.

"I-I don't care. I want to come!"

"Is this about a girl, Malfoy?" smirked Wesley, "Oh, I'm thinking …Weasley?"

"My…my Rose?" cried Tony.

"W-W-What are you saying? I wouldn't d-d-date a Weasley, you twit! Huh, how dare you …"

The Malfoy boy ran to his room, even though Albus was pretty sure that he'll come and crash their study date. Was it just for laughs, or was something more serious involved? Albus wasn't really sure. He didn't quite understand the boy-girl dynamics.

He took his Transfigurations book and headed to the library, where Rose and Linda were probably waiting. The two girls were already talking about Potions.

"…Professor Slughorn seems nice, but Potions is really hard…"

Albus took a seat near Rose, and so did Tony. Albus was amused by Tony's shyness, as he approached Rose.

"My favorite class so far is Defense against the Dark Arts," said Linda ", but I think I really like Herbology, too. Professor Longbottom sure is a nice man."

"I like Defense against the Dark Arts, too," said Rose, "I'm really glad that Uncle Harry came to teach here, he's had more experience with Dark Magic than anyone,"

"Why?" asked Linda.

"It's a long story," sighed Rose, "You could read it in _Harry Potter: Hero or Zero? _by Reeta Skeeter. I read it, and it's fairly true. "

"Wow, Albus, you should really be proud to be his son! He's very famous, I hear."

"Being my Father's son is harder than anyone thinks," said Albus. "Everyone expects amazing things from me, and I'm just…just Albus. Just Albus."

"Well, "Just Albus", I think you're great," said Linda, "And I believe that Tony and Rose could also agree on that."

The other two nodded their heads, and Albus smiled joyfully. His pale skin turned hot red as the three were merrily grinning to his delight. The four continued studying. Rose was really useful in times like this, since she was so smart and all. Albus was happy that Hogwarts had started, and he was looking forward to the time he would spend there.

* * *

><p>"Albus, James, we're here!"<p>

The two boys were greeted by the rest of the Weasley/Potter clan. It was heavily snowing, and all the children were wearing their green coats. Christmas was near, and you could feel it in the air, and see it on the streets. Everyone prepared for the holidays ecstatically, even the Weasley/Potter clan.

"My sons!" exclaimed Ginny and hugged the boys tightly, "How is Hogwarts so far, Albus?"

"I love it there, Mom! I love everything. Except Potions… I suck at Potions,"

"Don't worry about it, Al," said James, patting his shoulder, "I suck at Potions too, and you don't see me all worried."

Ginny glared at James, and his smile slowly turned into an awkward straight face. Soon after, Rose came with Linda and Tony. James ran to his best friend, Scorpius Malfoy and grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing, Potter?"

"You promised me you'd come to The Burrow this Christmas! Grandpa just prepared another room so that all of us can stay there!" cried James.

"But I haven't even asked my parents yet…"

Only Draco was waiting for Scorpius. His wife was home, seeing as she was with child. He approached the Weasley/Potters and spoke, "Hello,"

They all stared at him. They haven't really talked much since they left Hogwarts, maybe a few "Hellos" or "How are things" but not much. Harry thought to himself, "_Why does my son have to be best friends with Scorpius Malfoy?"_

"Hello, Draco," said Hermione. She twitched when she noticed that Ron was squeezing her hand quite hard. He had hated Draco for a long time, even though he wasn't that bad now.

"Dad, can I spend the holidays at their house?" asked Scorpius, making those grey puppy dog eyes.

"Scorpius, you don't even have your bags ready… and you can't invite yourself over, that would be just rude! Where are your manners?"

"Draco, it's alright, we invited him," spoke Harry, "He can come if you're fine with it, of course."

Scorpius kept staring at his Father, constantly saying "Please, please…" Finally, Draco gave in, and told Harry that he'll deliver his luggage the next day. Harry smiled kindly at the man, and Draco, even though surprised, replied with the best smile he had.

Before getting the kids in cars, Ron stopped and started counting the little wizards, "Four, five…they're six, Harry. You take three, I'll take three. Luckily we didn't bring Hugo and Lily, we wouldn't fit in here."

"Honey, but we're going straight to The Burrow! What about Hugo and Lily?" Ginny asked Harry nervously.

"It's ok, honey, Charlie said he'll bring them on his way home. He travelled via airplane."

"What's that again, Harry?" asked Ron.

Hermione sighed, "Muggle means of transport. A big metal bird flying in the sky…powered by an engine. "

"What a crazy thing," laughed Ron. "Well then, Lily and Hugo are in good hands. Off we go then! Everyone should have already arrived. Victoire and Teddy have just arrived from their honeymoon, and the two went straight to Mom and Dad's."

After everyone found a seat, Harry and Ron activated the invisibility button, and the two cars rose from the ground. They were gaining altitude quite fast, and once they were in the air, they opened the windows and shouted, "HOW MUCH TILL THE BURROW?"

"THIRTY MINUTES! STEER EAST!"

"OK, THANKS! TALK TO YOU WHEN WE GET THERE!"

Harry closed the window and threw a smile at the three boys in the backseat. James, Albus and Scorpius, who was completely terrified by this car, were quietly looking at the view. Harry had to spend almost ten minutes explaining to Scorpius that the car is safe, and nothing wrong is going to happen to them. Sure, it landed once in the Womping Willow, but they lived, right?

The journey ended briefly, and the five got out of the car. A small bundle of red ran towards Harry and gave him a big bear hug, "Daddy!"

"My little girl! Oh, how I've missed you!"

"Daddy, I'm very mad at you! First Albus, now you! You left me and Mommy," cried Lilly.

"I'm sorry, princess, but Daddy has to work," smiled Harry, "What about visiting me next semester?"

"Yey, Hogwarts!"

Arthur and Molly were standing in the doorstep. They welcomed all the guests to The Burrow, and kissed all of their grandchildren. Harry and Ron helped everyone get their bags inside, and then Ron pulled out a small piece of paper with tons of writing on it.

"We've placed you in rooms according to gender and age… Room 1 (Ginny's old room): Rose, Linda and Lily. Room 2 (Ron's old room): Albus, Hugo and Tony. Room 2 (twins' old room): James, Scorpius and Fred. Room 3 (Percy's old room): Roxanne and Dominique. And finally, Room 4 (Charlie's old room): Teddy and Victoire. I hope it's ok,"

Before Ron finishing, the kids grabbed their bags and ran to their rooms and unpacked their things. Everyone was charmed by The Burrow, and they all looked forward to spending their holidays there. Grandma and Grandpa Weasley were putting the table, and what a table! Arthur Weasley built a special tent for the family table, with no less than twenty-three chairs.

While Scorpius, James, and Fred were unpacking their bags, Scorpius kept staring at the big tent outside, wondering what was in it.

"Say Potter, what's inside that big tent over there?"

"Oh, that's just the family table," smiled James.

"And how many… are we?"

"Oh, only twenty-three."

"Only?" exclaimed the boy.

"Last year Percy and his family came too, so we were twenty four,"

"Your family breeds like bunnies, Potter," smirked Malfoy.

James threw a death glare at Scorpius, and then he shove a big pillow in his face. Fred couldn't help himself, and started throwing pillows at Malfoy as well. Soon enough, the three were having a real pillow fight, and no one could stop them, except…

"Dinner! NOW!" shouted Rose angrily.

The three boys removed all the feathers from their clothes, and headed (un)willingly downstairs. Scorpius winked at Rose and said softly, "You really are a pain the behind, Weasley,"

Rose blushed, and kicked Scorpius lightly in the ankle. After all the rooms were cleared out, Grandma Weasley showed them to the table, and they all remained speechless. Every year, Grandma Weasley prepared an exquisite festive dinner, but this year's was one of a kind. The starters ranged from stuffed pumpkins, baked aubergine and even cabbage wrappings. The drinks were also uncountable. There was pumpkin juice, Butterbeer, wine, a Muggle drink Coca Cola, and all sorts of delicious liquids.

"Grandma, you've outdone yourself this year!" said Victoire.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, it's the best Christmas dinner I've ever had in years!" replied Teddy Lupin politely.

"Oh, you dears, that's too much, really," giggled Molly, "I haven't had time to do the asparagus salad, and the tomato mix…oh, I'm such a mess!"

"No, Mrs. Weasley, it's amazing!" said Tony. "I didn't think wizards could cook that well, but now I stand corrected!"

After everyone was finished eating, they started chatting lively. Scorpius still had a lot of questions to ask, and he thought that this was the right moment.

"Can someone please tell me who's brother is who's cousin and… so on? Because I am very confused, and I don't know the names of half the people I'm eating with."

Everyone burst into laughter, and James was patting Scorpius's back saying, "Oh, dude, you're hilarious," yet Scorpius didn't quite understand their reason of laughter, since he was being very serious, indeed.

"Isn't he sweet?" giggled Hermione. "Well, Scorpius, you know that Ron had five brothers and a sister, right? I'm guessing your Father told you a little about us,"

"Oh, not just a little," giggled Scorpius.

"Well, let's go on. Ron married me, and our children and Rose and Hugo. Ginny married Harry, and their kids are James, Albus, and Lily. Fred and Roxanne are the children of George and Angelina. Bill and Fleur got married a while before the Second Wizard War, and they had three children: Victoire, Dominique, and Louis. Louis isn't here; he's at his friends'. And finally, Percy, who isn't here now, has two daughters, Molly and Lucy."

"Let's all introduce ourselves, since we don't know each other, and we'll be spending the holidays together," said Rose cheerfully.

Linda rose and spoke shyly, "Hello, I'm Linda Peterson, and I'm a first year Ravenclaw. I live at the orphanage, and I didn't even know I'm a witch until last August."

Everyone stared at her kindly, but she felt a bit awkward, so Tony got up and opened his big mouth, "I'm Tony Hart, Muggle-born, first year Slytherin, though I'm more of a Gryffindor. I'm extremely goofy, and fun, and charming…"

"And so on," said Scorpius, making the first year take his seat, "Scorpius Malfoy, second year in Slytherin, pure blood. Nice to meet you all."

"I'm Fred, the number one Weasley prankster ever seen. I'm a third year in Gryffindor. My passions include Quiditch, throwing pranks, and well… you know the rest."

"Hey, I'm Roxanne, and I'm also a third year, in Gryffindor. I like pranks, as well, but my main interests are makeup and fashion,"

"My name's Dominique and this is my last year here at Hogwarts. I'm in Ravenclaw, and I also have a boyfriend, he's in Hufflepuff. Hope we'll get along!"

All the students introduced themselves, while the adults were eating dessert. It was a really sweet sight to see all those children getting along. Everyone was surprised by Linda's confession, and they all felt like protecting her, seeing as she was an orphan.

After everyone finished their dessert, they all went upstairs, but of course, not in their own room. Everyone gathered in James's room, which was the biggest of them all. Due to several pleading from the older ones, they decided to play truth or dare.

It was James's turn, "Scorpius, truth or dare?"

"Hmm, truth," answered Scorpius, while drinking some more pumpkin juice.

"Who do you like?"

Scorpius choked with the pumpkin juice, and turned all red and shaky, "What's all that about, Potter? Stupid, stupid… Dare!"

"Ok," smirked James, "I dare you to tell me who you like,"

"I won't tell you, Potter! Deal with it!" Scorpius shouted.

"Oh, so you _do_ like _someone_," smirked James, "Is it someone from this room? Is it..._ Rose_?"

Scorpius looked away, still cursing James, and Rose blushed as hard as a girl could.

* * *

><p>"I got them, I got them!" James voice could be heard throughout the entire Slytherin tower.<p>

Albus and Scorpius came down angrily, preparing themselves to shout at James for the 100th time. How many times did they tell him to stop barging in their common room?

"James, are those…?"

"That's right, lil' bro, these are our exam results!"

"How did you get your hands on those, Potter?" Scorpius angrily took the papers away from James, and opened them quickly. He smiled delighted, "Four O's (Outstanding) and two E's (Exceeds Expectations),"

James opened his letter too, "Five O's. That's right, Scorpie my love, five! And a…A (Acceptable). At Herbology. Well, that's ok…"

"Ok? Potter you bastard, I don't think you spent more than an hour studying for all the exams. And I don't recall you studying at Herbology."

"That's right, Scorpie, I didn't. I'm just a smart gangsta,"

Albus opened his envelope, and was surprised to see his results. He was very smart, but also shy and wary, so he was absolutely certain he failed all his Practical exams, but he got A's on Potions and Charms. He got O's on everything else.

"That's my little brother!" James hugged him, "I bet Mom will be so happy when you come back home and show her these grades!"

"Oh, did you find out about Rosey?" asked Albus.

"Only O's, of course…"

Albus went upstairs and opened his Father's journal. He had been reading all about his adventure that first year. About the Philosopher's Stone, Quiditch, and Voldemort. He now reached the final page of the first chapter.

_I was really scared when I got the results in. I thought that I'll fail at most subjects. But to my surprise, I got good grades. I got O's on Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Charms, E's on Potions, Transfiguration and Herbology, and A on History of Magic. Hermione was, of course, our little perfect. All O's. Ron even got a D (Dreadful) on Potions, but I guess he'll retake the test. I couldn't believe that this was the last day of my first year. I had lunch, talked with Ron and Hermione, and then we headed nervously to the station. Before I hopped on, Hagrid gave me a present. It was an album filled with photos of my Mom and Dad. I finally saw their faces, and noted that I do have my Mother's eyes, and my Father's looks. I also put a picture with me, Ron and Hermione that we took after Christmas.  
><em>


	2. James: One's trust can be misplaced

**A/N : Finally... the 2nd chapter of my story ^_^ This is freaking long :O I just saw that =] Anyway, enjoy. It's about James' third year and a bit of a romantic heartbreak story. Stories are to be written! 3**

* * *

><p>"Dad, why did you react like that when you saw Albus in Slytherin?"<p>

Harry went with his eldest son, James, to Diagon Alley to buy him school supplies. It was extremely crowded, and Harry was starting to regret not going yesterday with his wife and younger boy. The two entered Flourish & Blotts, where the best magic books were sold.

"Dad, please answer!" whined James, "He seemed really upset at the Opening Ceremony last year. Are you disappointed?"

"Of course not!" snapped Harry, "It's just that… I didn't think Albus had that kind of… personality… I mean, look at Scorpius. He is so different from Al! Not in a bad way, of course. He's just…different."

"I understand," said James, "You were just surprised. I was, too. I couldn't wait for Al to be in my house, and we could stay in the common room together…like brothers. But I guess the Sorting Hat knows best."

James was putting all the books into the cauldron he had just purchased. A lot of books, he could notice. He had two extra classes, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. He had been hearing that Divination is utter nonsense. Yet Uncle Ron said that if he created fake tragedies and labeled them as predictions, he would pass with flying colors. Care of Magical Creatures seemed to be an enjoyable class. He would finally get some fresh air during classes, he thought.

"Dad, did you sign my Hogsmeade thingy?"

"I reckon your Mom did it," thought Harry, "You'll love Hogsmeade, James, it's wonderful. I used to go there all the time, with your Uncle and Aunt. Honeydukes, The Three Broomsticks, all those places were filled with students. It was beautiful,"

"I hope…I haven't spoken to my friends all summer. I hope they hadn't forgotten me," sighed James, "Not even a letter from Scorpius. I won't even get started on my roommates."

Harry kept staring at James, while buying more and more books. They paid soon enough, and then went for a drink at The Leaky Cauldron.

"A Butterbeer and a regular one, please," said Harry.

The place was pretty empty, unlike the rest of Diagon Alley. Seeing everyone was busy buying school supplies, no one had time to stop and have a drink. When James got his Butterbeer, he drank greedily and swallowed almost half of the drink.

"Dad…that man…Sirius Black, was I named after him? Mom told me a little something about him last night. I was curious, since I've seen him in a photo of you when you were fifteen. And his name…"

"You were named after my father, James Potter, and his best friend, Sirius Black. You know, Sirius helped me a lot when I was young… He even…died for me," sighed Harry.

James looked at his Father "Sorry for bringing that up, Dad. I didn't mean to upset you in any way,"

"It's ok, Son. It's ok,"

Harry finished his beer instantly, without saying another word. When James had finally finished the last drop of Butterbeer, he and his Father left the Leaky Cauldron.

James took another look on his list. He still needed some new robes and white shirts. He had grown so much this summer that even his baggy shirts wouldn't fit him. He entered the small shop, filled with loads of different clothes. He ran across some beautiful Gryffindor robes that would fit him just right. He tried on one, and looked amazing. James was really impressed of how he had grown. His muscles could be seen a lot better now, and he was about as tall as his Father, even a bit taller. He let his hair grow longer, and it covered his ears now, making him look carefree and cool.

His Father brought him a shirt. He took off his old one, not even bothering entering the fitting room. Several girls from Hogwarts giggled and pointed their fingers at him. Among them was a girl James knew. She wasn't giggling, but she was hiding a smile. James winked at her, and she turned red.

"James, son-"

His Father caught James undressing in public, "What are you doing?" he gave James a white shirt with checkered detailing. "Try this on! In the fitting room!"

He tried it on, and got out of the small fitting room, "How does it look?"

"It looks very good. So we'll buy this one, and four simple ones. Also, three robes. Two for winter, and one for the warmer weather. Take a look at sweaters, will you? I need to buy Albus a new tie, he forgot to buy one yesterday. "

James was browsing through the sweaters. He grabbed two grey ones and three black sweaters. He also bought three that were a bit thinner, to wear in mid-autumn. While he was looking for his size, the girl he recognized before met his eyes. She was looking for a sweater, too.

Her piercing green eyes looked deep into James' soul. She pushed her platinum blonde hair back. James was staring at her small mouth and white teeth. He knew her… but he couldn't remember where he met her. While browsing through sweaters, their hands touched, and he stared deeply at her, "So-Sorry,"

"No, it's my fault," she avoided his eyes.

They stared at each other for another minute, when one of the girls' friends broke the silence, "Sam, come on, will you?"

Sam! A sudden flash entered his mind and he couldn't control himself anymore.

"Sam!"

He called her name. She turned around, so gracefully, like she had the weight of a feather. She was looking at him with those gorgeous emerald eyes, and he felt petrified.

"He-Hello," was all he could say.

She laughed kindly, "Hello, James,"

She left the shop with her friends, still looking at him. He felt awkward. A lot of girls liked him, of course, but he was too young and too proud to care; but now, something's suddenly…different. He remembered_ her_.

He met during Potions class last year. Professor Slughorn made him study overtime for a prank he made. She was there, too. Samantha Figgins. She was studying overtime too, but not for something she'd done. She was the smartest in James's year, and had an aptitude for Potions. She was of mid-height, with big green eyes and platinum blonde hair. She was a Slytherin. James didn't remember talking to her.

"Idiot, what are you staring at?"

James came back to Earth. He looked around, and Sam was gone, but Scorpius was at close distance to him. He approached him and gave him a brotherly hug.

"Malfoy! "

"Potter,"

"I'm mad at you. You didn't send me a single letter all summer long!"

"Well excuse me for being occupied," said Scorpius sarcastically, "I was with my parents to Tunisia, Hawaii, Egypt, and… Southern France," he spoke proudly.

"Big deal. I've been practicing some new spells. Seems like I'm going to take prank making in Hogwarts to a new level."

"I saw you talking to a girl from my house earlier. Sam Figgins. Do you have any business with her?"

"N-No, I just knew her, that's all," said James shyly.

"Oh, whatever," said Scorpius, while grabbing a silver sweater, "By the way, I stopped by your house earlier, but you weren't there. Your mother got the message, though. Anyways… how's your family doing? You know, Albus… Rose?"

"Albus is fine; he just finished packing this afternoon. And Rose… wait a second, why are you asking me of Rose? Didn't I tell you not to get too close to her? Her father would freak out if you two were close,"

"Well, we are friends…are-aren't we?"

"Whatever you say, Scorp," said James.

The two boys went to the cash register, and Scorpius greeted Harry politely. James grabbed the bag with all his new clothes, proud of the whole lot his Dad purchased for him. After the boys had reached the end of Diagonal Alley, they parted and Harry apparated with James into their own living room, where Lily was watching TV and Albus was finishing his bags.

"James!" shouted Lily and hugged him, "Did you buy me something?"

"N-No, sorry Lil," said James, "We got Al a new tie though," James threw Al the tie, and he looked at it proudly.

"James, Draco and Scorpius Malfoy stopped by when you and Harry were at Diagonal Alley. They invited you and Albus to the Malfoy manor for a night. Oh, and Rose as well. Scorpius kept reminding his Father about her," giggled Ginny.

"What's that about Rose?"

Ron Weasley stood in the doorstep with a trunk and his children, Rose and Hugo, "Hello, by the way," said Ron.

"Hey, Ron," said Harry, "Where's Hermione?"

"Oh, working on her next book. She ought to have already finished it, but it's been quite a ruckus at home. You know, with Victoire, Dominique and Louis staying over up until this morning. I tell you, a handful they are. Curse Bill and Fleur for taking a "romantic holiday". "Said Ron in a goofy voice.

"Yeah, and Victoire brought her new boyfriend, Teddy Lupin. And they were snogging…" giggled Rose.

"Come on, Rosey, they're old enough. Can you believe it, Harry?" gasped Ginny ecstatically, "Our Teddy with our Victoire…"

"That's great, my godson couldn't have found a prettier or smarter girl for himself," smirked Harry.

"Oh, and wait, I haven't told you the entire story. So yeah, the two were snogging, no problem, they weren't making any noise…most of the time, but the other two, Dominique and Louis, man, are they loud! They fight all the time! And you would think Dominique should be more mature, you know, she is already 17, but no! They fought over anything: who's the smartest, the most popular, over video games, the remote control…"

"Poor you, Ron," laughed Harry.

"And by the way, what were you saying about Scorpius and _Draco Malfoy_?" growled Ron.

"They've invited the kids to stay over tonight and leave together for the Hogwarts Express. Isn't that just nice?" smiled Ginny.

"Nice? Nice? I won't be letting my Rose in _his_ house!" exclaimed Ron.

"Oh, come on, Dad!" whined Rose, "Al and James are going. Please!"

The big blue puppy dog eyes were irresistible. Ron tried to be strong, and not give in, but suddenly, he sighed.

"You can go, but with one promise: do not talk to the Malfoy kid. He's …_evil_! "said Ron in a spooky voice.

"Don't you think it's a bit rude to not speak to your host, Daddy?"

"Not if you're host in Malfoy!"

"Uncle Ron, he isn't all bad, you know. Scorp is quite ok, and he's very polite and well mannered. He's my best mate, you know." Grinned James.

"Yeah, Uncle Ron, he's nice," said Al ",he helped me a lot during my first year, when I didn't know most of Slytherin, and now I'm friends with a lot of them. "

"Hmm, ok, ok, I get it," he hugged his little girl tightly, "Take care, Rosey. Write every week."

"Promise, Dad," smiled Rose.

A smaller boy threw a tantrum and looked angrily at his Father, "Not fair, not fair! You promised me I'll go to Hogwarts, Dad!"

"Hugo, I promised you'll go to Hogwarts when you're 11! And that means next year. Do you see Lily behaving like yourself?"

Not far from them, Lily kept hugging and crying in her older brothers' arms, "Al, James, don't go! I'll miss you so much! Who will take care of me and Mom? And even Dad, even Dad is leaving… Don't go, Dad!"

"I have to, sweetie," said Harry and kissed her forehead, "Daddy is a teacher there, and I need to help other kids learn. You'll be there with me next year, too, so it's ok. Take care of Mommy for me, will you?"

Ginny kissed her husband, and the two boys whispered an "Ew". Soon after their trunks were ready, Harry put them in the car.

"Bye, Mom," James waved his hand at his Mom.

"Jamesy, come give Mom a hug," smiled Ginny.

"Mom, I'm way too old for that kind of stuff…" James rolled his eyes.

Albus ran and hugged his Mother tightly, "James Sirius Potter, I swear, if you're not here in two seconds, I won't let you go back to Hogwarts, and you'll spend all year having tea parties with your younger sister!"

James hugged his Mother quickly as well, terrified by Lily's friends, who seemed to be in love with him. After the Weasleys shared a big hug, and Hugo stuck his tongue out at his older sister, the kids were ready to go. James sat in the front with his Father, while Rose and Albus sat in the back. The Malfoy manor wasn't too far away from them. They reached their place in almost fifteen minutes.

The house was as big as anyone would expect. It was a tall, black Victorian house with two towers and a small garden in front. The garden was filled with white roses, and only one of them was red. Rose looked closely at that one, and she saw her name there. _"Just a coincidence_," she thought nervously.

The front door, which was a wooden one with beautiful detailing soon opened, and a man and woman stood in the doorstep. The woman was tall, with fair hair and green eyes. She had a lovely smile on her face, while the man had something that was more of a smirk, but close enough to a smile. At least for Draco Malfoy.

"Welcome, Potters," said Malfoy gloriously, "to our manor! And of course, Miss Weasley. I have heard quite a lot about you. "

Rose blushed, and Astoria approached her slowly, "No need to be shy. Come in, all of you."

The two boys grabbed their bags and carried them with ease, though Rose seemed to have trouble with her trunk.

"Want help, Rosey?" James turned his head and grinned at his cousin.

"No need, James," said Draco and shouted, "Scorpius!"

The tall boy ran to his Father. He looked a bit different than before, noticed James, although he had already seen him in Diagonal Alley. Scorpius got close to him, and he noticed the Malfoy was even taller than him now! He grabbed Rose's trunk, "May I?" and Rose nodded. The three boys carried the trunks inside, with Rose following them.

The Malfoy manor was as impressive on the outside as it was on the inside. A huge black fireplace stood in the back of the room, which was a huge entrance hall, filled with pictures of famous wizards, belonging to the Malfoy family. There were a lot of pictures showing Draco in his school years, and you could see an obvious resemblance in Scorpius, even though he took his Mother's heart-shaped face and perfect nose. There were also three couches and a small coffee table, as well as a coffee machine, the latest model on the market. The rugs and curtains were handmade and very elegant, and the moment you entered a place like this, you entered not only a house, but a castle.

"We have set up some rooms. I have a room for each one of you, but if you prefer, boys, you could all sleep in one room. The one with bunk beds. "said Draco.

"But what about Rosey, wouldn't she be staying with us?" asked Albus with innocence.

"She's a girl, Albus, it's not ethical that teenage boys sleep in the same room with girls…" said James and Scorpius nodded, though disappointed.

"Oh, ok… But wouldn't she be lonely?" asked Albus again.

"Do you want me to beat you?" said James angrily, "It's just one night, you baby,"

Astoria grabbed Rose by her shoulders, and walked her to her room. Scorpius looked at James and Albus, and said, "You two, this way."

The room they were going to sleep in was huge. And those beds, although two of them were on top of each other, were huge. They could all sleep in only one of them, with no discomfort.

"Dude, these beds are huge," gasped James, "How come I've never seen this room?"

"You've only been in my room, Potter," said Scorpius, "Besides, I have fifty rooms, and I didn't think you'd wanted to spend all that weekend looking through them,"

"Fifty?" gasped Albus, "We only have five rooms, and I thought that was a lot!"

"Well, Potter, be prepared to enter a whole new world,"

The boys talked all night, about school, adventures, and of course… girls.

"I can't believe it," said James angrily, "That …that girl from the clothing store, she… I've never felt this way, you know. I mean, of course, tons of girls are mad about me, but I never felt the same way. They were just, well, you know… boring, plain…common, but she's …different."

"Sam Figgins is an annoying little know-it-all, I tell you Potter. She always tries to beat me in everything. Defense against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms… "

"And does she? I mean, does she beat you?" asked Albus curiously.

"Well, you know, "said Scorpius shyly, "She … she has a lot of luck, I tell you! And she gets extra points, the teachers, they…"

"I'm thinking someone is jealous, Malfoy," smirked James.

"Am not! And don't you try to get away from our subject, Potter. Do you fancy her?"

"Maybe," smirked Potter.

"I don't like her at all, but you've got a point here. I think it's time the two of us should get girls, you know?"

"Aren't you quite young for that?" asked Albus with his reluctant voice.

"Oh, little Potter, you have so much to learn. You have to start young if you want all the ladies to come to you?"

"Come to me? Why would they want to come to me? I mean… I'm short, and geeky, and … girls don't like me, Scorpius, they like … Wesley,"

"Jordan? Well I have seen girls around him…" said Scorpius, "But Albus, you have your own charm. That shy, clumsy feel and those piercing green eyes. You could use all of these to your advantage. And who do you want to victimize, little Potter?"

"I-I-I…" said Albus flushed, avoiding all their looks.

"Oh come on, little brother, be a man!"

"Linda Peterson!"

The two looked at him with a smirk, and threw a pillow on his head, jokingly, "She's quite the looker, Albus," said James.

"Aw, come on guys, Dad had a girlfriend only in fifth year and Mom a boyfriend in forth. Isn't it a bit …early?" asked Albus shyly.

"It's never too early, my inexperienced brother!" exclaimed James, "For the ladies are smarter than we are, and sneakier. They have already sighted the good ones and the bad ones, so they can all leave the rotten apples behind,"

"Am I a rotten apple?" asked Albus.

"Not at all, little Potter, your mind and looks deny it clearly!" said Malfoy.

"And what about you, Malfoy?" smirked James, "You haven't told us about your… crush."

"Well," blushed Scorpius, "She is not to be mentioned, you rude bastards,"

"Who is not to be mentioned?"

Rose was in her pajamas, looking in to the boys room, "Oh my, sorry…Is it ok if I sit with you for a while? I'm feeling a bit lonely."

All the boys nodded, so Rose took a pillow and put it on the ground to sit down next to them, "So what were you three boys talking about?"

"N-Nothing," they all responded.

Soon enough, the four fell asleep, even Rose, sleeping in a free bed. They woke up in the morning, and Rose ran back to her room to get changed, hoping Astoria wouldn't notice her being elsewhere.

James tried to comb his incredibly messy hair, but failed terribly to do so. He just tamed his long chestnut hair and studied his face for a moment. He inherited his Mother's looks, including her height and slim nose, but his behavior, it was exactly like his Father's. Birds of a feather, they say. His hair was a perfect mix between his parents'. He was quite satisfied with the way he looked, but he questioned himself sometimes, "Is it enough? Is it enough for people to know who I am?". You can't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you're too lazy to read it before purchasing.

"What are you looking at, brother?"

His younger brother had finished getting dressed. Al was quite adorable, with his jet black hair and big, emerald eyes. He got dressed pretty recklessly, with his green sweater inside-out.

"Al, your jumper,"

Albus looked down, and sighed. He fixed his jumper, "So, what was it?"

"I look a lot like Grandpa James, do I?" thought James out loud.

Albus studied his older brother for a moment, and mind-stormed for words, "I assume. Why do you ask?"

"You know, Dad doesn't say much about him. Or about Sirius. Sirius Black, I mean. I know that Grandpa, Sirius and Teddy's father, Remus Lupin were best friends while at Hogwarts. But he didn't tell me much about them,"

Rose entered the room with a knock, and looked at the two boys. She sensed the tension, therefore asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, Rosey," replied James, "Just… I was thinking about…Grandpa, and Sirius…and Mr. Lupin,"

"You mean the Marauders?" asked Rose excitedly.

"The…what?" Albus stared at her confused.

"The Marauders, Al. They were a great generation of young wizards to step foot in Hogwarts. James Potter, Prongs, was the leader of the group. Brilliant minded, but quite a magnet for trouble, he never failed to impress each student, except Lily Evans. Sirius Black, or as he was called, Padfoot, belonged to a long bloodline of pure-bloods. He defied his family, and he moved towards the light, even though he and his best friend, James, would traumatize one or two Slyth… I mean students," she blushed while looking at Al, though he had gotten used to all the bad mouthing about Slytherins.

"So, as I was saying… ah yes! Remus Lupin, nicknamed Mooney, was the brightest wizard of his age, very kind, loyal and strong, nonetheless. He had a secret. He was in fact… a werewolf! And we're left with Peter Pettigrew, the filthy traitor," she growled.

"R-Rose? How come you know more about them… than I do?" babbled James.

"Mom told me," she revealed, "I think… I think Uncle Harry finds it hard to talk about them… He cared deeply for all… James, Sirius, Remus… "

A moment of silence dominated the room. A long yawn caught their attention, and the sight of platinum blonde hair announced his arrival, "What the bloody hell are you still doing here? Mom's been ready with breakfast for half an hour,"

"Sorry, Scorp," said Rose, avoiding his piercing grey eyes, "Let's go to breakfast, g-guys,"

The four came down and were welcomed to the table kindly by Astoria. She had been cooking a lot, James could notice. All types of cooked eyes, with beans and sausages, also fresh fruits and marshmallows, as well as jam cake.

"Eat up, kids," smiled Astoria kindly, "What do you want to drink? Pumpkin juice, tea, Butterbeer?"

She waved her wand, and all of them appeared on the table. James grabbed delighted a Butterbeer and started drinking it greedily.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" uttered Albus nervously, "Are we leaving this morning?"

"Sure, my darling, Draco is at the Ministry, borrowing a couple cars," she replied, "We can't be seen flying on brooms now, could we?"

"Oh, come on Mom, you promised we'll go to the station via brooms," whined Scorpius, "I have barely practiced Quiditch this summer!"

"Scorpius, I promised I'll let you practice, but going to the station is very dangerous, not at these times, especially…"

"These times? Is something wrong, Mrs. Malfoy?" asked James, with his mouth full of eggs.

"It's just… it's Draco," she looked at her son worriedly, "Your Dad, Scorpius. They're targeting his position. Old classmates of him, they still believe he is, well, evil,"

"But he is not!" Scorpius rose from the table, hitting his fist against the wooden surface, "Dad isn't the most communicative person, but he's honest, and he's certainly not evil!"

"Calm down, Scorpius…" Astoria whispered softly.

"I won't! I won't accept it! Who, who said that? Who dares to doubt the Minister of-"

"Stop .. _talking_!"

Astoria shouted. The four stared at her sad face, filled with disappointment and even anger. No one ever thought the sweet, kind Astoria could shout.

"It's none… none of your business," she pronounced, trying to calm herself down, rather than her son, "It's for adults, Scorpius. Don't worry. It'll all be fine…soon,"

She nervously cleaned up the table and suggested that the kids should go and check if they had left anything in their rooms, but James realized that she only needed an excuse to be alone, and most likely, by her watery eyes, cry.

Scorpius ran to him room angrily and shut the door close. James followed him, and spoke up, "Scorp… I'm sorry about it,"

"Hn," Scorpius snorted, "They always judge my Father. They always see him as the man who joined Voldemort once… a Death Eater,"

"Scorpius…"

"He was forced to join Him!" shouted Scorpius, with tears in his eyes, "He…he was forced to. He didn't have a choice. My immoral grandfather… it was all his fault! In Azkaban, he is, and he ought to stay and rot there! Not caring about his wife, his son! His only son!"

"Scorpius, calm down,"

Rose entered the room and looked kindly at the boy, "It's ok, Scorp, it's ok. Your Father is going to be ok, don't you worry about it,"

She approached him, and hugged him. He buried his face into her shoulders, and let the tears flow. James gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, and cheered him up with his kind words.

James had never seen his best friend like that. Scorpius Malfoy was very strong, indead, and proud. His family was a very influent one, and rich as well, so he was honored to be the son of Malfoy. But now … he seemed so fragile and weak. James didn't even know how to comfort his friend. Good thing Rose was there, she always knew how to talk to people …

"Mate, I'll help you, ok? Anytime you want to talk, or … anything, just ask me," said James kindly.

"Thanks, James," Scorpius wiped his eyes quickly, "Do not tell anyone that I was… crying, or it will be the last thing you say. You hear me, Potter?"

James laughed and patted Scorpius's back, "Sure, Malfoy, don't you worry 'bout it,"

James put all his stuff back in the trunk, and climbed down the stairs, leaving it in the entrance hall, where Al had already put his. Scorpius helped Rose get her trunk down, and after everything was set, Draco entered the house and told the kids to put their trunks in the car.

While the kids were getting in the car, James remembered he had forgotten his lucky charm, Harry's golden snitch, so he ran to the room he slept in and grabbed it. He stopped close to the door, and hid in a corner when he heard some voices.

"Astoria, it's nothing to worry about, they won 't attack me, I promise. Besides, they heard Harry Potter is on my side, and he's trustworthy,"

"Is that the reason why you invited the kids to stay? I thought it was for Scorpius, Draco," replied Astoria offended.

"Of course it was for Scorpius! I don't want to take advantage of Harry, it's just that having a good relationship with him is good for the media."

"If… if you're seen with Harry Potter…are those people going to leave you alone?" asked Astoria worried.

"I think so, yeah," he answered her, "I should invite him to our house this Christmas, if that is ok with you, my dear, "he looked at her lovingly.

"Sure, it's fine. I really like his children, they're so nice and lively," she smiled, and James put on a big grin.

Draco smiled, "I should get to the car," he headed to the door, and James ran looked on the window, seeing if they're still talking.

"Oh, Astoria,"

Astoria turned around and looked at Draco, "How did the blood work go? Are you fine?"

"We'll…we'll talk about that later, honey," she hesitated, "Now, you should drive the kids, you don't want them to be late,"

"But-"

"Goodbye now, Draco,"

Draco sighed and closed the door. James pretended to look at the roses, and Draco approached him. "Oh no, he realized I was eavesdropping, I'm screwed," James thought.

"Aren't they lovely," said Draco, looking at the flowers.

"Y-Yeah, they are," James replied, feeling relieved.

"When I got married, I planted my first rose, as a symbol of my love for her. And then we grew more and more. They're all white, because white is the purest color, and that's Astoria. The kindest person I ever met,"

"Why is there a red one, Mr. Malfoy?" asked James.

"Oh, that's Scorpius's. Well, I think it's a secret for now," smirked Draco, "Now, get in the car, James. We're running late."

Draco and James got in the car, and they rushed to the station. They were running late, indeed. The barrier was almost closed, but they got by quickly. Draco helped the kids get their bags in the luggage compartment, and waved them goodbye.

"See you soon, kids,"

"See you soon, Mr. Malfoy," waved James kindly.

Scorpius stared at his Father blankly, and muttered a quick goodbye before throwing himself in the comfortable seat and not talk to anyone. James wouldn't say anything. He got up on the hall to find the trolley lady, but she wasn't there yet. Instead, Samantha Figgins was in front of a compartment chatting with some of her Slytherin friends.

"Samantha," said James.

"Hello, James," she sighed, "My friends forgot to keep me a seat," she stared sadly at them.

"Oh, that's ok," he grinned, "There's still room in my compartment,"

"That's very kind of you."

James leaded her to his compartment, where Albus and Rose were chatting about the new Potions courses, and Scorpius kept staring out the window.

"Ahem," James cleared his throat.

Scorpius turned his head and looked at the girl, "Figgins,"

"Malfoy."

The awkward tension between them was making James feel weir d about it, so he invited Samantha to take a seat, and gave her one of his chocolate frogs.

"I think I'll go to see Linda, if that's ok with you," said Rose, "I think she's in a compartment with all our roommates,"

"I'm going to see Tony, Wesley and Mike as well," smiled Albus, "See you later, James, Scorpius… girl,"

Scorpius looked at Rose and Albus while they were leaving, and after that, continued his gloomy stare.

"S-So, are you excited about this new year, Scorpius?" asked Sam.

"Hmm?" he asked surprised, "Oh, sure, Figgins. I'm taking Ancient Runes."

"Me too! Wha-What a coincidence!"

James felt something odd in the air. Something odd, indeed. He raised his voice, feeling obliged to say something, "So, we're allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year, Sam. Isn't it nice?"

"Yes, sure, nice," she replied casually.

"I can't wait going to Honey Dukes, and Zonko! I bet they're amazing. What about you? What do you want to see?" asked James eagerly.

"I guess the same, Honey Dukes… Weasley Bing-Bong, too. George Weasley sure is a great inventor, I tell you that,"

"My Uncle, he is," said James cocky. He turned his look over at Scorpius, who wasn't communicating at all, "So, Scorp dude, we're going to Hogsmeade next week, aren't we?"

"Hmm, I'll think about it, mate,"

"Oh, do come, Scorpius!" smiled Sam, "I mean… we wanted to make a third year Slytherin get-together. It would be nice, you know,"

"I don't care,"

Sam looked away insulted, with tears in her eyes. She seemed very offended by what Scorpius said, and tried to look busy while pretending to search for something in her purse.

"Scorpius, that was very rude," James growled at Scorpius.

"So?"

"Apologize."

"And if I don't want to?" smirked Malfoy.

"I said, apologize!"

James was glaring at his best friend, with his teeth sticking out in the corners of his mouth. Scorpius didn't seem too affected; he just kept his smirk on his face and didn't say anything.

"It's ok, James, you don't have to defend me…" she muttered, "I-I'll go see if there's another spot in my older brother's compartment,"

Sam left swiftly, but she forgot her bag. James got her bag and ran on the hall, passing quite a few compartments when he found her.

She was sitting in an empty compartment, crying. She looked up when she heard James. He took a seat next to her, and looked kindly at her, "Sam, why are you crying?"

Sam's cheeks were filled with tears, "It's that Malfoy! He keeps… he…he hates me! I've always tried to talk to him, you know…"

James stared at her surprised, "Be-Because we're in the same house, and well, I wanted to get along… with everyone, right? But he… hates me. Why does he hate me?"

James put his hand on her back, "He doesn't hate you. He's … he doesn't really know how to talk to girls, you know. He's pretty immature, so don't take everything he says seriously. And now… he has a …personal problem. Try to understand him a bit, ok?"

Sam wiped her tears and nodded. She looked at James with her big green eyes, and the boy replied with a big smile.

"You know, James, you're different from most boys. You seem… older than them,"

"Yeah, I know I'm kind of tall and-"he blushed.

"Not that, silly," she put her finger over his lips, "You're so… mature."

Sam leaned in, and her lips joined James. He could feel her wet eyelashes when they brushed against his cheek. This was so different from anything he had done until now… so different.

He released from the kiss, inhaling. Samantha laughed, "Is this your first kiss, James Sirius Potter?"

"Isn't this … yours?" he asked embarrassed.

"Well, not quite," she smirked.

She got up, fixed her robe, and headed to the door, "I'll go back to the girls' compartment," she grinned, "Bye, James."

He got up and followed her, but when he wanted to shout out her name, his vocal chords seemed to be blocked. He sighed, and headed back to his compartment, where Scorpius was sitting alone.

"Got hot and heavy with Figgins?"

"Why are you such a prick, Malfoy?" asked James disappointed. "I thought better of you, mate. I thought you're a mannered bloke, by how you behave with my family, and all. Where is the Scorpius I know?"

"Leave it, Potter,"

James sat down next to Scorpius, searching for his glance, "Scorpius, I know it's hard for you, with your Father and all that, but don't let it get to you. Sam wants to be nice to you; she wants to befriend you…"

"She doesn't, ok?" he shouted, "Sam Figgins, she's trouble, mate. I didn't get to tell you last night. She's no good,"

"What are you saying, Scorp?" he laughed, "Come on, you've never even talked to her. She tells me you avoid her, and don't reply-"

"Damn straight, I do! Do not trust her."

James got up and glared at Scorpius, "Too bad then, mate. I've already kissed her."

He got out of the compartment, and searched for something. His cousins, brother… something. But he didn't know where to go. All of them were with their friends. Where was his friend? Oh right, he was alone, judging everyone.

After another ten and something minutes, the Hogwarts Express stopped at the Hogsmeade station and the children walked out of the train. James was next to his little brother and his friends. He saw Scorpius moping alone, but he didn't want to talk to him. He just continued walking with the rest of the group towards the carriages.

"Brother, are you and Scorpius fighting?" asked Albus, while getting on the carriage.

"I think we are, Al," James looked at Scorpius who joined his roommates.

James, Albus, Tony, Wesley and Mike were silently heading to Hogwarts in their carriage. James looked around bored. It looked the same, Hogwarts, but he had a feeling that this year would be special. Not just classes and Quiditch, but something more.

As soon as they reached Hogwarts, they got down and headed to the Great Hall, where the Sorting Ceremony was taking place, as usual. Finally, when Zuckerman, Paul was sorted into Hufflepuff, the feast began, and James ate half the food in front of him with no remorse whatsoever.

After he had eaten a good amount of food, he headed to his bedroom where he greeted his roommates politely, instead of growling at them, like they did.

"Well, well, look who's back to Hogwarts," one of the boys said, "How were your holidays, Potter? Making out with Malfoy on the beach, did you?"

"Shut it, Smith, I'm not in the mood for it,"

James folded his clothes neatly and put them into his dresser. He took out his pajama from his trunk and started changing.

"Got ourselves muscles, Potter? I believe Malfoy likes them a lot," Justin Smith continued talking, while the other two didn't say a word.

"Stop it, please. I don't want to hurt you,"

"Oh, Potter, you're threatening me, now? Well, let's see whose power is greater. Me, an ordinary Hogwarts student, or you, the famous son of the famous Harry Potter."

"Justin, cut it out, we don't want any trouble-" said a short boy with big golden eyes.

"You stay out of this, Mudblood!" shouted Justin Smith.

James pointed his wand furiously at Justin and looked straight into his eyes, "Take that back, you filthy bastard! Tell Oliver you're sorry!"

"Why should I?" he smirked, "if that's what he is. He's a damn Mudblood, and should be treated like one!"

The fourth boy spoke up and said, "Damn, Smith, with your shitty attitude, you should've been put into Slytherin,"

Justin escaped a crooked chuckle, but James and Oliver were staring at the other boy, "Keith," whispered Oliver, "James' little brother is in Slytherin. His best friend too… That was-That wasn't a nice thing to say, Keith,"

Keith looked at James, who was filled with anger and fury, and spoke up, "Sorry, Potter, I didn't mean to. Just, you know Slytherin's reputation … "

"No, I don't," he lied, "Would you tell me more, Keith? Because I see you're very well informed. Just so you know, my little brother is the sweetest person I have ever met, and he's a Slytherin. His best friend Tony, is the most loyal person I have ever known. Slytherin, as well. Want to go on, perhaps?"

"I'm sorry…"

James, who was now fully in his pajamas, took his Dad's journal, invisibility cloak and left, "You know, you might be Gryffindors, but except Oliver here, you're all jerks,"

He left the Gryffindor tower angrily, and headed to the dungeons. With his invisibility cloak one, he couldn't be seen, so he walked freely on the corridors.

He was getting closer to the Slytherin's common room, when he saw a familiar face. It was Sam. But what was she doing with that guy?

She was taking a guy into a dark corner, and they were whispering something. James wanted to get closer, but the things he was holding were getting quite heavy, so he decided to enter the Slytherin common room.

"Merlin's beard," he whispered.

The doors were opened and he entered effortlessly. He looked around, but James couldn't see one Slytherin lying around the common room. Was it that late?

He headed to the boys dormitories, and looked at the door marked "Second Years". But he didn't open the door, he didn't even knock. He sighed and headed to the firsts years, where his younger brother slept.

James opened the door softly and looked around. His brother was still reading a book, but the other three were fast asleep. When his brother got up, James shushed him and sat down on his bed.

"Brother, are you ok?" asked Albus worried.

"I had a fight with Smith," he growled, "He made fun.. of me and Scorpius. If you could've heard the shit he was talking about."

"You're not used to fight with Scorpius, are you?"

James looked out the window, and saw the twinkly stars and cloudy skies, "No, I'm not. Especially not because of a girl,"

"A girl? Is this about Samantha Figgins?"

"Yeah," James chuckled, "He thinks she's trouble,"

"You know, he might be right about this one. I don't really like her either… there are a lot of stories about her travelling around,"

"Do you listen to gossip? I thought better of you, Albus,"

"I-I'm sorry, brother," Albus looked down, "Are you … friends with Samantha?"

"Well, not quite friends," James smirked.

"Oh, you mean… she's your girlfriend?" Albus widened his eyes and looked very funny.

"Haha, I think so. We _kissed_," he looked superiorly at James.

"Wow! And how was it?"

Albus kept his look filled with admiration and stared at James as if he was some kind of God or something. James couldn't feel better than this.

"An interesting experience, little brother, interesting indeed. I hope you feel it as soon as possible,"

Albus giggled and a few moments after, he fell asleep. James was reading his Father's journal. Nothing about a girl there, just memories about him, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Was he so different from his Father? Was he doing something wrong?

The next morning, James woke up earlier than the rest. He took his stuff, but he didn't put his cloak on. When he reached the common room, he saw a very well-known pile of blond hair.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" asked Scorpius.

"If you have forgotten, my little brother is a Slytherin as well .What are you doing here so early, Malfoy?" James growled.

Scorpius was wearing his characteristic grey vest and white shirt, with the Slytherin tie. His face was pale as snow, and he had huge dark circles around his eyes, "Who said I've went to sleep last night?"

The two stood in complete awkwardness, not saying one word to each other. They both missed each other a lot, "Well, I-I'll be going now," babbled James.

"Bye,"

James rushed to his room wearing his cloak, hoping no one would see that he's upset over something, especially his numerous cousins, who could be really over whelming. When he reached his room, he took out his clothes and started changing. He was alone. The other three were probably having breakfast.

He sat down on his bed, reliving the moment he had met Scorpius. He was so excited to start Hogwarts, though he was disappointed that his little brother, Albus, wasn't joining him. He sat in a compartment next to his cousins, Fred, Louis and Dominique. James met Scorpius while he was trying to find a free carriage. They have been best friends ever since.

He looked at his pocket watch. It was half past eight, and he was running late for his first period, and of course, to top it off, it was Defense against the Dark Arts.

He ran nervously to the second floor, hitting a few students on the way, when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"James,"

He turned around. It was Sam.

"Hey Sam, morning," he smiled innocently.

She got closer to him and kissed him. James closed his eyes nervously while blushing, and Sam pulled away, releasing a snort.

"Hmph,"

"Is everything ok?" James asked nervously.

"Yeah, sure…Let's go, we're late for Defense against the Dark Arts."

The two headed to the classroom silently and took a seat in the first row. James wasn't used to sit there, he would usually sit in the back with Scorpius, but he saw Scorpius sitting in their usual spot with his Slytherin roommate, Gregory, so he let himself pulled by Sam and sat down.

Shortly after, the door that led to the teacher's office opened, and Harry appeared wearing his typical green sweater.

"Good morning, class,"

"Good morning, Professor Potter,"

James restrained himself from making the same pun he used for a whole semester last year, when he greeted the teacher, "Sup, Dad?"

"So let's see… ah! I need to evaluate your progress from last year in a quick practical test. It's ok, this doesn't affect your final grade, it's just for you to… see your level,"

Sam looked nervously at James, and he realized that she wasn't ready for this. She exceled in every possible subject… except Defense against the Dark Arts.

"James, what am I going to do? I can't afford getting a Troll in Defense against the Dark Arts," she whispered angrily while Harry tested Stuart Belby.

"Look, I'll help you," he whispered, trying to not get caught by his Father, "You just mimic doing the spell, and I'll whisper the incantation. I hope it'll work,"

"Samantha Figgins!"

While she was heading to the middle of the class, James winked at her and she smiled. Harry noticed it, so he stared at James, who pretended to look out the window.

"So, Samantha, can you show me an effective Rictumsempra spell?"

Harry let a Cornish pixie escape from the cage, which was approaching Samantha quickly.

She looked distressed around the classroom, trying to find James's eyes. He nodded, and she mimicked, "Rictumsempra!" while James whispered the same incantation from his desk. The Cornish pixie headed sacredly to its cage, and Harry locked it tight.

"Thank you, James, for being a gentleman, but your turn will come soon enough. Now Samantha, let's try again."

He released the pixie again, and Samantha tried to cast the spell, but it back fired on herself, causing her to fall down and hurt her arm.

"Ouch," she shrieked.

Harry nodded, and wrote something down in his notebook, "Ok then, next."

After all students were tested, except James, Harry asked his son to stay for another minute and "talk", and somehow James figured out that it wasn't to congratulate him on the perfect Rictumsempra spell he had just casted.

James grabbed his bag and entered his Father's office, "Dad?"

Harry was searching for something, but in that mess of books, scrolls, and different teaching objects, it was impossible to find something. James was proud he wasn't the only messy one in his family.

"Oh, James," he looked up and smiled, "Sit."

James took a seat next to his Father's desk, still being very creped out by his Father's weird smile, "Um, Dad, is everything ok?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Harry smiled nervously, "Want something to drink? I have Pumpkin liquor, Fire Whisky…"

"Dad… I'm thirteen."

Harry looked confused at his son, "Oh, sure you are, sure you are! Here you go, have a Butterbeer,"

James opened his Butterbeer, and Harry took a glass of Fire Whisky, although he probably had three more classes after this one.

"So Dad…can I go now?" asked James, hoping for an escape.

"Don't you enjoy spending time with your Dad? Albus always comes and talks to me," Harry pouted.

"It's not about that, Dad, but I have Divination in like … ten minutes or so,"

"Urgh, I hate Trelawney,"

"Yeah, you told me. Like … five hundred times."

"So…why did you help Samantha Figgins earlier today?" asked Harry, "I was quite surprised to see you in the front, away from Scorpius. Are you two not getting along lately?"

"Ehm, I don't really want to discuss that matter," mumbled James.

"Aha…" thought Harry, "I didn't think you knew Samantha. She's a bright student, but she's really bad at my subject," he chuckled.

"I met her last year in detention. She wasn't in detention, of course, she was studying on her own in the Potions classroom,"

"Nice, nice," smirked Harry, "And… is she your girlfriend?"

"W-Well…"

"She's your girlfriend! Yes, yes, yes! I can't wait to tell Ginny! I was so worried that you'll take after me, and wait until your fifth year to make a move, which in my case happened to be on the wrong person, but you're more like your Mother in this department. I'm so happy, I can't believe it…"

"Dad… I think I broke a rule or something," James tried to be rational; "Everyone will think you're favoring me just because I'm your son."

"You didn't break any rule, James, it's ok. Plus, do you actually think of me as one who cares about rules? That would be your Aunt, perhaps,"

James sighed and waved his Father goodbye. No scolding, no detention, no anything. People didn't like that James was favored by his Father so much, and he felt really bad when he breaks a rule and somehow doesn't get punished for it.

While he was heading to the Astronomy tower, he met Sam on the way there. She had just finished having her arm bandaged and looked really upset.

James stopped at waved her, "Hey Sam, how are you feeling?"

"How am I… How am I feeling? You were supposed to help me with the spell, but you were so stupid that you got yourself caught. I can't believe it…"

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Sam," he replied, feeling very guilty for the whole incident, "If there's anything I can do to help you…"

"Actually, as a matter of fact there is. You see, my arm really hurts, and I can't get my Herbology paper done till tomorrow, since it hurts so bad, you know. So I was thinking…" she grinned at him.

"Oh course I can write it for you! Anytime," he grabbed her paper and looked closely at the title. _Ten Most Dangerous Carnivore Plants. _ Nothing a bit of time and library couldn't solve.

"Oh, James, you're the best," she said and headed to the dungeons.

It was Christmas, and to James's surprise, the Malfoy family invited his family and others to spend the holidays at their place. Seeing as the manor had fifty rooms, there was enough space for everyone.

Even though Scorpius and James were sharing a room, they still weren't on talking terms. The Malfoy family hosted a lot of people that Christmas. Harry, Ginny and the kids, as well as Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo, but also Samantha Figgins. James found it not only weird, seeing as the two weren't friends, but also offensive towards him. He knew that Scorpius was trying to prove something, but James didn't want to believe that Sam was anything but nice.

After the family dinner, James was heading to his room, but he heard voices inside. He recognized Scorpius and Sam's voices, so he decided to stay behind the door and listen to what they were saying.

"I said no, Figgins, and it's not the first time I had said so," growled Scorpius.

Sam looked at him with begging eyes, "Come on, Scorpius, just one time only. You don't have a girlfriend either,"

"Take your own sorry arse to Hogsmeade! And you have a boyfriend, if you have forgotten,"

"Potter?" she laughed, "Do you actually think I'm dating him because I like him? You're so funny, Scorpius. He's good-looking, I give you that, but he's so immature and innocent. Boring!"

"You lousy, common slut!" he shouted," Why are you still seeing him, then?" Scorpius stared at her with hatred.

"He's good for my homework. All of them were good for my homework," she smirked.

"I can't believe you! I was starting to feel bad because I said those things about you, I thought you were actually better than this, my… my best friend is dating you!"

"Oh come on, Scorpius," she said, sensually approaching him, putting her index finger on his lips, "You don't actually think I'd date someone as childish and common as Potter, do you? I aim only for the highest,"

She leaned towards him, crushing her lips onto his. Shortly after, he pushed her away and slapped her face.

"Sam?"

James stepped into the room, with a blank face and an urging desire to punch the girl in her face. Scorpius was looking worriedly at his friend, hoping he wouldn't lose his mind over there.

"James, I…"

"Cut the crap, Sam," he growled, "You…why did you do this to me?"

"I'm so sorry, James, he made me say all those things, he also made me kiss him; he threatened me!" she started crying and rushed to his side, though James pushed her away.

"Liar!" he shouted unbelievably loud, "Liar, liar, liar, liar! GO away! I hate you!"

She ran crying from the room, took her trunk and asked Draco to open his chimney so she could travel back to her house.

Upstairs, James was standing still, looking at Scorpius.

"James…" Scorpius approached him and put his hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry. I didn't… I didn't want you to find out about her in this way…"

"No, Scorp. I'm sorry," James sighed, "I should've trusted you. You're my best friend after all,"

Scorpius hugged James and patted his back. James looked at Scorpius and smiled, "From now on… we'll tell each other everything, ok?"

Scorpius nodded, "Of course,"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Done! Hope you liked this chapter. Rate and Review, of course :" I'll try writing more often, since summer vacation starts on 22nd of June for me ^_^ Psyched! **


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